In wireless communication systems such as a mobile phone system, a wireless base station performs wireless communication with mobile terminals being located in a communication area (e.g., cell or sector) thereof. In an example of applications of such wireless communication systems, a wireless base station broadcasts specific information to multiple mobile terminals being located in a communication area thereof. For example, regarding a wireless base station installed at the foot of a mountain, an application is expected in which the wireless base station collects weather information, which is measured by weather sensors installed near the top or the ridge of the mountain, via a wired network and broadcasts the collected information. As a result, at the foot of the mountain, mobile terminals that move along the mountain pass from the foot to the top of the mountain can acquire the weather information about the weather around the top of the mountain. In this way, broadcasting is more likely to be used, for example, when local information (i.e., information having a relatively narrow target range) is transmitted to mobile terminals.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2008-16990, 2002-271257, and 2005-516509 disclose the related art.
However, when local information is broadcast from a wide-area wireless base station that covers, for example, a macrocell, the local information may be unnecessarily broadcast to an undesired area. Moreover, as described above, installation of a dedicated wired line is needed in order for a wireless base station to collect information to be broadcast. For this reason, the configuration in which a wireless base station broadcasts local information has a problem that relatively high cost is required.
On the other hand, it is considered that the introduction of a local access point capable of transmitting (i.e., broadcasting) information to a relatively narrow area may prevent local information from being broadcast to an undesired area. That is, it is considered that the local information can be broadcast limitedly to a relatively narrow desired area by introducing a local access point. However, as described above, installation of a dedicated wired line is still needed in order for the access point to collect information to be broadcast.
Such technical disadvantages occur not only when collected information (or acquired information) is broadcast but also when the collected information (or acquired information) is provided to some kinds of services.